I like my Pats' chances this year. Brady is healthy again, and I doubt their defense is going to have as sloppy a year as 2009. For Belichick, the defense was not as expected. Hopefully it was one of those transitional years and New England will be back on top of the AFC East, at least hopefully for me. They will have some tough competition though and everyone is definitely wondering what Mark Sanchez will do in his sophomore year. I drafted him in my fantasy football pool last year with my last pick overall and was pleasantly rewarded with a decent backup QB near the end of the seaosn. More importantly though is how the Jets' defense will compare to last year's stellar effort. We shall see, and I see the AFC East ending up something like this:
1. New England Patriots 13-3
2. NY Jets 9-7
3. Miami Dolphins 8-8
4. Buffalo Bills 4-12
Like I said, I really think New England will have their shit together on defense this year. Not only that but I believe the offensive linemen may have taken a year to mature and will also improve in 2010. Belichick always has an ability to find talent in the draft at all spots and that's why this Patriots team has been somehwat of a dynasty over the past decade. They should continue on this season, getting right back on track after an embarrassing loss to the Ravens in the playoffs last year. The only problem is, they might have problems with Baltimore again in the playoffs, and I think they're going to have an even bigger problem facing the Colts and Peyton again, which I'm sure will be a highly possible postseason scenario. For now though, look for the Pats' offense to remain one of the best in the league and have your fingers crossed that the defense can improve.
I really think the luck of the Jets at the end of last year may be a bit of an anomaly. Sure I like Sanchez a lot and Rex Ryan's defense is one of the toughest to beat in the NFL, but remember when Ryan himself counted the Jets out of the playoffs last year with only a few weeks remaining. What happened next was something special, and all praise to the Jets for making it is far as they did when everyone, including their own coach, had written them off. This is going to be a defining year for this New York team, figuring out if they're going to be a perennial contender with a new franchise quarterback. It could go either way, but I see them falling back a little bit and possibly even missing the playoffs.
The Dolphins added a quality wide receiver but have a quarterback who threw more interceptions last year than touchdowns, and sat on the sidelines for 13% of the offensive plays. Depending on how you look at it, the addition of Brandon Marshall could either signify big changes for the Fins, or just be a smokescreen in a disorganized offense. Sure Miami managed to achieve some sort of success last year with Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown running the ball, but can both stay healthy for an entire season? The defense seemed to be able to slow down opposing offenses, and have a young secondary that could cause big problems, but all is not quite well in Miami and it could be another disappointing season.
In Buffalo I have hopes... hopes that Toronto will be able to get an NFL team in the near future. It seems implausible, but given the NFL's track record of relocating teams it may very well happen tomorrow. What a team my city would receive! A team that is missing pretty much everything and nowhere really to go. They could have drafted a bunch of good defensive players or offensive linemen at the number nine spot last year but instead decided to go with running back CJ Spiller. At least Fred Jackson's early preseason injury somewhat justifies the move, but like the Rams taking Bradford over Suh, it's thinking much to quick-solution and not enough long-term-building. I doubt Spiller will make enough impact to win the Bills games and they should wallow in another season in the basement of the NFC East.
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